PRIME Minister David Cameron has offered hope to millions by claiming it was “really important’’ to help people find ways to keep their energy bills down.

On a visit to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) headquarters in London, he told staff the Government was looking at ways to tackle the problem in the short, medium and long term.

He added: “In the short-term, the most important thing we can do is help people with their bills.

“That is helping people to switch energy supplier, making sure we have got a competitive market and also helping people with the baffling array of different schemes there are.”

Mr Cameron said the medium- term goal was to make the energy market more competitive.

He added: “In the longer term, I think we need to be frank that in order to have safer and more secure and long-term affordable energy prices we have got to make sure we are not too reliant on carbon energy sources, often from unsafe and unstable parts of the world.

“While that will cost money up front, it’s actually good for consumers in the long-term because we are going to have safe, secure and balanced supplies of energy.” Mr Cameron made the visit with Energy Secretary Chris Huhne and jokingly handed over to him by saying: “I’m always a great believer that there is no point having a dog and barking yourself, although, of course, I wouldn’t say that about the Energy Secretary.”

Mr Huhne told the CAB workers that the voluntary Warm Homes discount, currently only available from energy firms to limited numbers of vulnerable bill payers, was being made statutory.

He added: “There is an increase in the amount available compared with the voluntary scheme, so we really can help those most in need over what could be a tough winter.”